


Hi Deaf, I'm Dad!

by Virilee



Series: signing-verse [1]
Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Gen, Platonic Moxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 00:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14273295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Virilee/pseuds/Virilee
Summary: Virgil is used to being an outsider- being deaf in a mainstream school kind of does that to you. So who's this new kid?





	Hi Deaf, I'm Dad!

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic in an au that I've been posting headcanons for on tumblr. I've got a lot of ideas about it, so you'll probably be seeing fics pop up in this 'verse from time to time.

Nothing makes Virgil dread getting up more than the first day of a new school year. A new year means new teachers, and being deaf, that can never be a good thing. First, there are the assholes who decide that his deafness is a personal attack on them and do their damnedest to get in the way of every little accommodation he needs. Worse than that, though, are the teachers who stare at him as if they're on the verge of crying. Those ones manifest their concern for his supposed wellbeing by inflating his grades on homework and tests, and constantly trying "improve" on his accommodations. Virgil hates both kinds of teachers equally.

His overhead light flashes on and then off again. He blinks and rolls over with a groan. The vibrations feel strange in his throat with no sound to accompany them, so he cuts himself off and stares at the doorway, where his mother is standing. She smiles, waves at him and begins to sign.

_Breakfast's ready when you're ready. Okay?_ Virgil frowns and nods in response, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

_I'll be there soon._ Virgil signs back, once his hands are free.

_Light on?_ She asks, and at his nod, his mother flips the light switch once more and leaves Virgil to lean over and check his phone. The time blinks back at him, 6:30 am. Far too early to be even thinking about getting up, but alas, he has to leave for school in twenty-five minutes. So, he gets up, grabs a pair of jeans from his floor, and once he's dressed, he pads into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

_Good morning._ His mother signs, pressing a gentle hand to his shoulder as he walks past her to sit in front of the plate of food she's left on the table for him. He eats the eggs silently and watches as his mother runs around, getting ready for work. Eventually, she comes back into the kitchen and waves over at him before signing _goodbye_. Virgil waves back, and then stares down at the rest of his breakfast. He keeps a careful eye on the time as he eats, and as soon as it reads 6:50, he dumps his plate in the sink and goes to get his stuff for school.

***

Keys in hand, Virgil finally leaves his apartment and heads down the street. Not for the first time, he thinks about how grateful he is that they live so close to the school. It's a bit of a walk, but at least he doesn't have to take a bus- that had been the worst kind of hell when he had started mainstream school in eighth grade. Nothing could ever hope to beat that first morning, getting on the bus all high hopes and ready to make friends, only to be surrounded by a bunch of kids who didn't even notice him, as they all chatted away with voices he couldn't hear. Virgil had tried turning on his implants, but it had been too loud, and he hadn't been able to make out any words amidst the chatter. After that, he had quickly given up on the idea of making any friends.

He was still grateful for the transition year- it had definitely taken a long time for Virgil to even begin to get the hang of learning in a mainstream environment, and the year of eighth grade had allowed him the time he needed to figure out (mostly through trial and error) how to keep his grades afloat. Now, three years later, he's managing fairly well- his grades are far from perfect, but he survives, even when the teachers are especially stupid and act like his deafness isn't their problem. Virgil arrives at the high school with ten minutes to spare, and he immediately heads for his first-period class. He opens the door, and with a sigh, he slides into a desk at the front of the room to wait.

Five minutes later, he catches movement in the corner of his eye and looks over. A kid he's never seen before is sitting at the desk next to him, but his head is turned away, to look at another kid who's sitting nearby, so he can't tell what the boy is saying. 

Luckily, a moment later, the other kid starts to talk, and he frowns when he catches the word 'deaf' in their lip movements. A moment later, the new boy turns back to him, and Virgil nearly falls out of his chair when the boy starts to sign.

_Hello!_ This kid knows sign language?! Virgil helplessly responds with a half-hearted wave of his own, feeling like the entire world has turned upside-down in a split second.

_My name is Patton,_ the boy signs, practically bouncing in his seat. _what's yours?_

Virgil quickly fumbles to spell out his own name in response.

_Nice to meet you!_ Patton’s grin gets even wider, as he leans forward in his seat. _I can't believe I got lucky enough to have a class with someone else who knows sign language!_

_Are you deaf too?_ Virgil asks, trying to sign through his complete shock. He immediately winces at his phrasing, though, wondering if that came off as rude.

_No, but my father is._ Patton replies. _So I use a lot of sign language at home._ Virgil nods absently at the response and glances away. Looking down at his arm, he tries to surreptitiously pinch himself. It hurts.Virgil looks back up, and Patton immediately starts signing again.

_Where's your interpreter?_ Virgil grimaces and shrugs.

_Don't have one._ He signs back. _I'm pretty good at lip reading, so we didn't think it was worth it. Besides, I'm not sure all the teachers would let me._ Patton frowns at Virgil's last comment, but he doesn't argue, and a moment later, a girl walks up to them. Virgil is preparing to read her lips when Patton's hands start moving again.

_Are you deaf too?_ Patton's hands spell out, in time with the girl's moving face. Virgil stares in wonder, as Patton answers her with still moving hands. Is this kid _interpreting_ for him?

_No, I'm not deaf._ Virgil catches the frown forming on Patton's face, and glances over at the girl. _Why do you ask?_

_Then why are you using sign language?_ Oh, Virgil knows this chick. She’s the daughter of Mr. Gelman, his absolute worst nightmare from last year. He had been convinced that Virgil was just using his deafness to get away with being lazy, and had behaved accordingly all year. Every little accommodation had been a struggle, and Mr. Gelman had taken great joy in forcing Virgil to use his cochlear implants, discomfort be damned.

_He has cochlear implants; you don’t need to sign._ Patton’s hands falter momentarily, and Virgil glances up to see the surprise on the other boy’s face. _You shouldn't encourage him to disrupt the class._

The words are pretty much exactly what her father had told him last year, so it’s clear where she got the notion from. Virgil is about to formulate a response, but Patton beats him to it.

_Who said we were signing because he needed it?_ Patton is still translating, but Virgil takes a moment to examine his face. Patton's expression has gone from a somewhat childish excitement to the most intense frown.

_Since you asked so nicely,_ Patton is still talking, and Virgil makes a split second decision to start lip reading because he has a feeling that whatever Patton says next isn't going to be quite so easily translated into ASL.

_We happen to be using sign language because we want to,_ Patton is saying. _It's comfortable and easier for both of us, and anyways class hasn't even started yet, so I think you should butt your face **out of our business.**_ Virgil snickers at her stunned look, and knows that Patton delivered that with every ounce of force it looked like he was. He waves a friendly goodbye as Kayla retreats back to her desk, and then turns back towards Patton.

_Thanks._ He doesn't really know what to say past that. Patton has just done something that nobody else has ever done for him.

_Don't mention it._ Then, after a pause, _do you get that a lot?_ Patton's frown deepens even more when Virgil nods, but Virgil can't exactly offer much more explanation because at that exact moment, Patton's attention is caught by what must have been the first-period bell, and the teacher starts class.


End file.
